JANUARY 18, 2005

A Formula 1 road car

MB Roadcars is a company established last year by Michael Blaize, a Formula 1 aerodynamicist who worked in the missile business prior to his involvement in the sport. The 31-year-old Frenchman has now produced a dramatic road car called the EOS (which stands for Exigence Of Speed) at his workshops in Brackley. Blaize has been assisted in his work by other F1 engineers, including composite expert Ian Thomson. The intention was to design and build a road car which would be engineered in the same way as a Formula 1 car, using state-of-the-art design techniques and advanced materials. Blaize says that the three-seater sports car "brings together the very best of motorsport and aerospace technologies into a distinctive and elegant concept". Powered by a V8 engine the car is designed to do zero to 60mph in 3.5secs and will get to a top speed of 200mph. The intention is to put the car into production - with a limit of 20 cars a year. These will retail at something in the region of $600,000. The first prototype will be ready by the end of 2006.